DTH
Dish TV designs campaign around the way Indians watch TV – “Life Masala Maar ke”
New Delhi: “Life Masala Maar ke” is the new theme of a campaign by Dish TV, the country’s oldest and arguably the largest direct-to-home player. With this campaign, the brand will be seen in a new avatar – as flag-bearers of entertainment.
The campaign showcases varied people from across the country enjoying entertainment in their own unique way, which every Indian does – with a little masala, with a little extra emotion. It depicts how Indians love to consume entertainment and get fully immersed while watching TV. Be it a modern couple, a traditional household or jawaans at the border – everyone consumes entertainment with a twist and not in a mundane, sedate way.
This campaign has been created by McCann Ericsson and has come on air across leading channels today. It is targeted at a wide base and is for both new and existing consumers.
Through a 360° media approach, DishTV will be using multiple platforms such as television, out-of-home and digital media to bring the thought alive. This comes at a very opportune time in the brand’s lifecycle with the third phase of digitization coming to an end and at the onset of the fourth phase of digitization.
Dish TV CEO Arun Kumar Kapoor said, “DishTV today touches the lives of over 100 million viewers across different age groups and geographies. We are an integral part of every Indian household, providing world class entertainment, each day. In India whatever we do is completely over the top and completely spicy, Indian lives are like Hindi movie, full of action, comedy, drama and emotion. This is what our new ad campaign is all about, it embodies fun loving, spicy entertaining and Masala Maar ke approach towards life with Shahrukh Khan being the sutradhar of the campaign. This is what keeps the brand alive and fresh in their minds as DishTV enhances the quality of life bringing fun, laughter and entertainment into the lives of people Masala Maar ke. “
McCann World group executive vice president- planning Jitender Dabas said, “Apart from food and clothing, entertainment is something that are very characteristic of culture. Indian people prefer their entertainment the way they prefer their food- in a more spicy larger- than – life kind of a way. Daily dose of entertainment for them is like the spice of life. Hence the idea of- Life Masala Maar ke.”
Agency credits:
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Campaign elements: TVC Agency: McCann Ericsson Production House: Little Lamb Films Director: Bouddhayan Mukherjee Creative Director: Ravinder Siwach
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TVC details Duration: 70 seconds Campaign breaks as of: 1st April’16 Exposure(mediums used): Television
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DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction revenue dips to Rs 642 crore as slot sales fall
Revenue dips as revised norms reshape bidding in 94th round
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish has closed its 8th annual, and 94th overall, e-auction for MPEG-2 slots with total collections of Rs 642 crore for the period April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
That is lower than last year’s Rs 780 crore haul, with 55 slots sold compared with 61 in FY25–26. The softer topline reflects both a slimmer inventory and a recalibrated auction framework.
This was the first auction conducted after amendments to the e-auction methodology, including tighter eligibility norms and a revised reserve price structure for MPEG-2 slots. The stated aim was greater transparency and more serious participation. The immediate outcome appears to be more measured bidding in certain categories.
Day one set the tone. Eight slots were sold, six in the premium Bucket A+ and two in Bucket A. The strong early action in A+, which typically houses Hindi GECs and movie channels, reaffirmed the enduring appeal of mass Hindi programming on the platform.
Among the broadcasters securing slots in the initial rounds were Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Sony Pictures Networks India, Viacom18’s Colors network, Sun Network and Shemaroo Entertainment. Their continued presence signals that, despite the pull of digital platforms, Free Dish remains a strategic must have for legacy networks chasing scale in price sensitive markets.
The final bouquet of 55 channels leans heavily towards Hindi news, movies, devotional fare, Bhojpuri and regional programming.
In Hindi news, familiar heavyweights such as Aaj Tak, ABP News, India TV, News18 India, Republic Bharat and Zee News made the cut. Entertainment and movie offerings include Colors Rishtey, Star Utsav, Dangal TV, Sony Pal, Shemaroo TV, Goldmines, B4U Movies and Zee Biskope. Devotional viewers will find Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhna Gold among the selected channels.
Regional representation includes Sun Marathi, Fakt Marathi, PTC Punjabi and GTC Punjabi.
Equally telling were the absences. Broadcasters such as Big Magic, Filamchi Bhojpuri, India News, Bharat Express, Movieplex Maithili, TV9 Marathi, Shemaroo Marathibana, Zee Chitra Mandir and Satsang did not participate. The pullback is particularly visible across Marathi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and spiritual programming. Industry observers point to the revised reserve prices, tighter eligibility norms and a reassessment of commercial viability as possible factors.
DD Free Dish continues to beam into over 40 million homes, largely in rural and semi urban India. For advertisers and broadcasters alike, it offers efficient access to Bharat markets where pay TV penetration remains uneven and OTT subscriptions are limited.
The moderation in revenue this year may be read as a pause rather than a retreat. Fewer slots, a reworked auction playbook and evolving broadcaster strategies have clearly shaped outcomes. Yet premium Hindi entertainment retains its pull, and the platform’s mass reach remains hard to ignore.
As the FY26–27 line-up settles in, the mix of winners and walkaways will define the private satellite channel landscape on DD Free Dish for the year ahead.
